Did the Suffragettes Sing When They Marched In Parades?

You bet they did, says performer Gerri Gribi. Listen to a two-minute segment of a longer audio interview with Gerri where she discusses the role of music in suffrage activism. Gerri performs suffrage songs for audiences across the country during special programs and celebrations highlighting the suffrage movement and other occasions related to women’s social and musical history. Songs were important in parades. At special teas and receptions it wasn’t uncommon to have a woman performer either sing or play a musical instrument.

4 responses to “Did the Suffragettes Sing When They Marched In Parades?”

I love it how you are communicating with a personal story, like that of your grandmother. It makes it easier to understand our grandmothers better. Living history is important and it’s extremely meaningful. Thank you for doing this work.

Which suffragists and where and when? Things were very different across the Channel or in the western states or….I do know that the big NYC parades organized by Stanton’s daughter, Harriot Blatch, did not appear to have singing, since the idea was to be very severe and decorous (eyes front, spaces between marchers precise and maintained all the way etc) to prove that women could be disciplined. I think the impact was visual way more than aural…..

You’re right Louise…the struggle for women’s suffrage took place in many different venues and in many different ways. The “suffrage movement” encompassed a wide range of political activities and approaches, ranging from back-room negotiations to public marches and rallies, and oftentimes, the various leaders disagreed with each other as to which approach (or even which goal) would be most effective.

What I find exciting about this blog is that by sharing her family’s personal involvement in the suffrage movement, Marguerite has a created a forum through which all the various streams of the suffrage movement might be explored. I hope that others with personal connections will find their way here, and post their own stories.